Oriented on making people closer

On February 24, Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov met with a delegation led by the UN Under-Secretary-General, High Representative for the Least Developed, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island States Rabab Fatima, who arrived in Ashgabat for the first time.

The parties noted the constructive and long-term experience of strategic cooperation between Turkmenistan and the UN and its specialized agencies in a wide range of areas, and discussed in detail the joint events planned for the current year, declared by the UN General Assembly as the International Year of Peace and Trust on the initiative of Turkmenistan.

In particular, they discussed the preparations for the 3rd UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDC), scheduled to be held in Turkmenistan in the second half of the year, the press service of the Foreign Ministry reported.

Rashid Meredov and Rabab Fatima noted the importance of this global event and exchanged views on the agenda of the Conference, protocol and organizational issues, including the preparation of draft Final and other documents.

The interlocutors expressed confidence that this Conference will create an effective platform for specific actions in the field of sustainable development, environmental and food security through improving transport, digital and trade connectivity, which is consistent with the national and foreign policy priorities of Turkmenistan.

The geographical location of 32 landlocked developing countries creates a set of challenges for their economic development. Their remoteness from sea trade routes and major world markets, combined with a total population of over 500 million people, creates a number of difficulties, including increased transportation costs, logistical delays at borders and dependence on political stability and trade policies of neighboring states. This state of affairs objectively puts them in a less advantageous position in the global trading system and requires the search for special strategies to overcome these geographical limitations.

ORIENT

Photo: mfa.gov.tm